News

GSE Grads Encounter Success in Job Markets and PhD Programs

August 2008

As of June 2008, over half of students graduating had accepted offers from companies or places in postgraduate programs, most often in PhD programs.

Students in the Barcelona GSE Master in Economics and Master in Finance, the school’s largest master programs, opted to either enter the work force or begin post-graduate study in almost equal numbers.

Forty-eight percent of graduates applied to a PhD program, in many cases the doctoral programs at the UPF and UAB—the reference doctoral programs of the GSE—or at other top institutions such as LSE, the University of Chicago, NYU, or the Bonn Graduate School of Economics.

Conversely, 30% of Economics and Finance graduates found jobs in a diverse range of industries, most often economic consulting and banking. Graduates received offers from top companies, a sampling of which includes LECG, NERA Consulting, Central Bank of Norway, Central Reserve Bank of Peru, and the British Government. As of June 2008, 22% of the graduates were still involved in selection processes.

Graduates of the Masters programs, though they will be spread around the world, will be in touch as GSE alumni

Diana Miftakhova, a student in this year’s Msc in Finance, explains that she received offers to follow both academic and professional paths, and is “currently deciding which path to follow: continue further with studies or carry on my business career.”

The Master in Finance, she says, “offers many benefits: small class sizes, rigorous coursework, and a renowned faculty. In addition, the program holds the Financial Institution Seminar, which brings top companies like Deutsche Bank AG, Omega Capital, and Paribas Center for Hedge Funds Research to present to, and recruit, the Finance Master students.“

Master in Economics student Stefan Gissler, who was one of the top students in the program, chose to continue his studies at the UPF doctoral program in Economics (GPEFM), where he will be able to continue his research in his area of interest. He says “the Master in Economics gave me the chance to get to know the university, the economics department and the faculty. But most of all it prepared me to for my future career: in the core courses I learned all the methods needed in Economics.”

Students in the Master in Competition and Market Regulation (MCR) also fared very well in the job market. More professionally-oriented than the Masters in Economics and Finance, over 70% of MCR students received a job offer or a paid internship offer two months before completing their coursework. As of June 2008, the remaining 30% were either involved in the selection process or applying to doctorate programs at a variety of different universities.

Students are assisted by the MCR internship program, which gives students the opportunity to participate in internships lasting from 3 to 6 months at the end of the 1-year program. Participating companies include the Competition Commission, Conseil de la Concurrence, OfCom (Office of Communications- UK), OFT (Office of Fair Trading - UK), FEDEA, SFR Vodafone, EDF, LECG, The Brattle Group, Clifford-Chance, RBB Economics, and Telecom Italia. “The GSE has taken a keen interest in our priorities and always sought the best position to match our profiles,” says Hector Otero Otero, an MCR student who will be interning at the Competition Commission in the UK this summer.

Graduates of the Master in the Economics of Science and Innovation (MESI) also experienced resounding success in the job market. The master enjoys an interdisciplinary approach to the study of economics, thanks to its links with departments of innovation and business, public institutions, technological parks, and research centers.

These same links also provided the path to employment for many of the master students, 70% of whom had jobs at the time of graduation. Jobs ranged in type from the Catalan Institute of Nanotechnology, the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation, and the Fundació Clínic. The remaining students are pursuing higher educations programs, most often PhDs.

Crosby McDonald, a MESI student from Vancouver, received an offer from LECG in their London office. The interdisciplinary training he received helped him in the job market, he says. “I studied Business as an undergraduate, and my fellow students studied a variety of other things. The fact that the master program brings together people with different backgrounds, not necessarily in economics, means that you get a great scope of issues related to the economics of science and innovation.”

MCR students enjoy a last laugh at the GSE graduation ceremony

While the majority students chose to apply their degree to their chosen profession after graduation, many also chose to continue their studies in doctoral programs